Rewarding Merit and Promoting a Deputy Commander!

"Now that I've cultivated the Blood Sha Skill, I wonder if I'll be branded as someone who practices demonic arts too."

Chen Fan took a sip of wine and gazed up at the bright moon, speaking in a low, distant voice.

To be honest, he didn't really care.

But he'd only just managed to secure a government post, and with the great merit he'd earned, his promotion to Jinyiwei Baihu was all but certain.

As the saying went, shelter beneath a great tree and enjoy its shade; cultivation came easily in the Jinyiwei.

He truly didn't want to be kicked out of the Jinyiwei over this.

"I've already explained to my master that you turned the tide through your own efforts and saved tens of thousands of Ping'an County's people. With no other choice, you relied on the Blood Sha Skill to break through to the Spirit Aperture Realm. I think he'll understand."

"He'll report the matter and have it entered into the records. After that, you can carry on in the Jinyiwei as before."

"I've also asked my master to use his connections to find you a Cultivation Method from the same lineage as the Blood Sha Skill, but with fewer side effects, one that can take you to Spirit Aperture Realm Perfection."

"Even if the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office armory doesn't have such a Cultivation Method, the Yun Prefecture Jinyiwei Myriad Household Office armory should."

"And even if the Jinyiwei Myriad Household Office armory doesn't have it, the Imperial City Jinyiwei Headquarters armory must have a Cultivation Method suitable for you to switch to."

"Don't worry. As long as I'm alive, I'll keep looking for a suitable martial arts Cultivation Method for you."

Lu Xuenning gazed at Chen Fan and spoke with resolve.

As the Jinyiwei Zongqi Officer specially dispatched from Longyuan Prefecture, and a member of the covert guard besides, she felt it was her duty to take responsibility. Yet Chen Fan had shouldered the entire burden himself, and his martial path had been cut short because of it. She owed him.

"Thank you."

"Really, you don't need to feel so bad. At worst, I'll cripple my Spirit Aperture Realm cultivation and start over. It'll only take some time."

Chen Fan spoke casually.

In truth, he was more inclined to deduce the Blood Sha Skill to perfection and use it to reach the peak of the Spirit Aperture Realm.

But he couldn't say that. After all, the last person to improve the Blood Sha Skill had reached the peak of the Spirit Aperture Realm and wreaked havoc across Yun Prefecture for more than a decade: the Blood Demon.

The past was a lesson for the future.

If he dared suggest improving the skill, Lu Xuenning would probably uphold justice by killing her own kin!

"Don't try that unless you have absolutely no other choice. If you disperse your cultivation and start over, one wrong move could destroy your foundation. You might not even be able to hold on to your Spirit Aperture Realm cultivation."

"And even if you succeed, you'll damage your apertures, dantian, and meridians, limiting your future achievements. There has to be a better way."

Lu Xuenning tried to talk him out of it.

"Mm-hmm."

"I hope so!"

Chen Fan nodded slightly.

With his attribute panel, he could deduce martial arts using Demonic Creature Lifespan. As long as he had enough of it, he could always find a broad, open road of his own.

The Blood Demon had spent his entire life improving the Blood Sha Skill into the Blood Sha Magic. Couldn't Chen Fan spend a thousand years—or even ten thousand—improving the Blood Sha Skill into the Blood Sha Divine Skill?

If his comprehension wasn't enough, he could make up the difference with lifespan!

Day after day passed.

About half a month later, the envoy from Longyuan Prefecture finally arrived. This time, officials from both the Longyuan Prefecture Government Office and the Jinyiwei Commander's Office came together.

"Ping'an County Magistrate Li Shouyi colluded with Demonic Creatures, harmed the people, and raised Demonic Creatures. The evidence is conclusive. He is stripped of his office and will be taken to Longyuan Prefecture to await punishment."

"Ping'an County Deputy Magistrate Liu Xuan colluded with Demonic Creatures and was complicit in their crimes. However, as he repented afterward, he will receive a lighter sentence: stripped of his office and reduced to commoner status!"

"Ping'an County Deputy Magistrate Ye Jichuan stood firm against Demonic Creatures and stepped forward in the face of disaster. He is truly an official who serves his country and people. He is promoted to Ping'an County Magistrate and will govern the county. Magistrate Ye may decide whether the other county government officials are rewarded or punished, and need only report his decisions to Longyuan Prefecture."

The envoy from the Longyuan Prefecture Government Office had come to dispense rewards and punishments, carrying an official document stamped with the seal of Yun Prefecture.

At the same time,

in the battered Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office,

Wang Teng, a Deputy Commander from the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, arrived to hand out rewards and punishments.

"Cao De, Baihu of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office, colluded with Demonic Creatures and harmed the people. His crimes are unforgivable. He has been executed!"

"Li Mo, Zongqi Officer of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office, colluded with Demonic Creatures and harmed the people. His crimes are unforgivable. He has been executed!"

"Zhang Meng and the other Xiaoqi Officers of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office aided the wicked, colluded with Demonic Creatures, and harmed the people. Their crimes are unforgivable. They have been executed!"

"Chen Fan, Zongqi Officer of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office, joined forces with Lu Xuenning of the Jinyiwei covert guard to purge Ping'an County of Demonic Creatures, execute traitors within the Jinyiwei, and sweep the demons from Black Mountain. He turned the tide and saved the people of Ping'an County from the brink of disaster. He is promoted to Baihu of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office."

Wang Teng read aloud from the Jinyiwei document.

"Senior Brother, why is Chen Fan only being made a Baihu in Ping'an County? That's so unfair!"

Lu Xuenning protested, clearly indignant.

"Ahem."

"You're always talking. Just listen quietly. I'm not finished reading yet!"

Wang Teng shot Lu Xuenning a glance, cleared his throat, and continued:

"Chen Fan, Baihu of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office, has made it his duty to slay demons and exterminate evil. He is promoted to Deputy Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei and will oversee logistics at the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office. He is also appointed head of the Jinyiwei Tenth Brigade of Longyuan Prefecture!"

"Huang Chengyue, former Zongqi Officer of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei, will temporarily serve as Baihu until the new Baihu arrives. He may then retire to his hometown. His benefits will be paid at the Baihu rate."

"Congratulations, Deputy Commander Chen and Baihu Huang!"

Wang Teng looked at Chen Fan and Huang Chengyue with a smile.

The Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office had one Commander and three Deputy Commanders.

Of the three Deputy Commanders, one oversaw logistics, while the other two assisted the Commander in slaying demons and exterminating evil.

Wang Teng, the Senior Disciple of Zuo Qianqiu, Left Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, had reached the seventh level of the Spirit Aperture Realm. He was one of the two Deputy Commanders who assisted Zuo Qianqiu in slaying demons and exterminating evil.

Chen Fan's position was somewhat unusual. He had taken over the post of Zhao Mu, the Deputy Commander in charge of logistics at the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office.

Because of his advanced age, this Deputy Commander had already submitted a retirement request to the Yun Prefecture Myriad Household Office. It had now been approved.

In principle, a Deputy Commander in charge of logistics wasn't responsible for field assignments to slay demons and exterminate evil. It was a relatively safe and easy position, particularly suited to elderly Jinyiwei Deputy Commanders or Baihus being promoted.

Yet now the post had gone to Chen Fan, a young man in the prime of life. More remarkable still, Left Commander Zuo Qianqiu had given him a team of one hundred men, the same number as a Jinyiwei Baihu Office in a county.

That meant Chen Fan was effectively holding two posts at once, straddling both fieldwork and logistics. Such a thing was unprecedented at the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office!

"Oh, my!"

"Thank you, Deputy Commander! Thank you, Left Commander! Now the pension I'll get when I retire to my hometown will be a lot higher!"

Huang Chengyue beamed at the news.

"Uncle Huang, there's no need to be so formal. You're Xuenning's elder, and I'm her senior brother. Before you, I'm the junior."

Wang Teng smiled. He didn't put on airs just because he was a Jinyiwei Deputy Commander.

"Senior Brother, what about me?"

"How did I do on this mission? I've already comprehended Sword Heart Illuminates and entered the Spirit Aperture Realm. I even opened Thirty-six Spirit Apertures in one go."

Lu Xuenning couldn't help asking.

"Lu Xuenning, Zongqi Officer of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, is promoted to Baihu of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office for assisting Chen Fan in slaying demons and exterminating evil. She will temporarily lead the Tenth Brigade and serve under Deputy Commander Chen."

Wang Teng glanced at Lu Xuenning, shook his head helplessly, and spoke.